Malcolm's Invention
by lalie21
Summary: Malcolm has the day off from his classes at camp, to complete a special project. What is this project? Read to find out. R&R!


**A/N: Hi guys! This is my first PJO-based one-shot, though I am not new to . [I mostly write Alvin and the Chipmunks] Anyway, this story focuses on a special something Malcolm creates to change the way demigods communicate, while the seven of the prophecy are facing the events and perils of The House of Hades.**

**[I do not own anything except the storyline, and Sydney Anderson, my OC.]**

** Enjoy!**

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><p>It was a warm summer day at Camp Half-Blood. The grass glowed green and the air was warm, thanks to the magical borders that surrounded camp. The cabins were spotless, as morning inspection had just been completed. Lava was shot skyward at intervals, challenging the demigods scrambling up the climbing wall. In the forest, fun-loving dryads were teasing the campers that passed by to slay monsters.<p>

Meanwhile, in the Athena cabin, A.K.A. Cabin Six, all was still- if you didn't count the cabin deputy, Malcolm, quietly looking over blueprints on his bunk. After he had explained to Chiron exactly what he planned to do, he was more than welcome to skip his classes for the day. Malcolm had packed a light, vegetarian lunch for himself, so he wouldn't have any excuses to leave the cabin, except for dinner.

As he looked over the complicated calculations, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked into the miniscule details of the blueprint in front of him. Occasionally, he saw mistakes in his work, and had to take out his eraser and pencil. Finally, he murmured, "I think it's good enough. It might actually work."

Then, he stepped to his cabin's communal fountain, fished around in his pants leg for a drachma, held it over his head, and chanted, "O Iris, Goddess of the rainbow," but he finished with an unusual request, "Show me Beta Mode."

The fountain was silent. Then the image of an angry Iris appeared on the screen. "What do _you _want with _my _rainbow telecommunications service?! Are you Manager Hermes? Oh, Hermes, if this is another of your hair-brained pranks I will tell _Zeus _and, mark my words, get you fire-" the goddess was cut off.

"No! I'm not the manager, and wait- Hermes manages you, too?" Malcolm was slightly confused.

"Yes, you imbecile! Hermes manages all telecommunication enterprises in the godly world, not that I'm happy about that," huffed Iris.

"Oh." Malcolm's voice was suddenly small, though he was offended that Iris had the nerve to call a son of _Athena _an imbecile. "Well, I have these blueprints for a miniscule technological alteration to your interconnected multi-form network, if you wouldn't mind to scan its properties…"

"Save all the big stuff for your mother. She's right here, you know." Just then, Athena appeared on the Iris-Message.

"Let me see those, son," she said gently. Malcolm obliged.

Athena looked over them as carefully as she could through the misty portal. "Well, that would increase the chance for spies to access and export information… but then again, Iris does have the right to restrict Message-Rights, right?"

"Yes m'lady," was all Iris said.

Excitement was building up inside of Malcolm. His idea might actually work! Soon enough, he was welcome to work on the Beta Mode of the Iris-Message network. He looked through the enchanted wires and cables, connecting the whole universe of demigods together. Could he really create something with an impact on so many? It would be his biggest project yet, but he was determined to undertake it.

He worked for hours, reconnecting and clipping the celestial bronze wires. After a while, he sighed, pulled at his Camp Half-Blood shirt, and walked to the fountain. Then he summoned an Iris-Message to Piper, who was on the _Argo II_. Luckily, he didn't get an angry goddess screaming at him this time; Iris was mellowed and simply connected him to Piper, who was on the main deck with Jason. Their arms were wrapped around each other in the cool night air. They didn't notice Malcolm until Jason looked up, his eyes widening. "Uh… Piper?" Jason looked straight at Malcolm. "We have a visitor."

Piper whirled around. "Oh hi! Uh, who are you?"

"Annabeth's half-brother, Malcolm. Just testing an experiment."

Piper and Jason watched as Malcolm tried to slip a piece of notebook paper through the mist, bewildered. It went through the connection all right, then evaporated. "Darn! Well, see you the next time I'll be testing," and with that, Malcolm swiped his hand to cut the connection.

"What was that?" Piper asked curiously.

"I don't know, but hopefully he won't sneak up on us again like that," replied Jason. They retired to their cabins below decks, still confused.

Back on Long Island Sound, Malcolm was pacing. "Something must've been wrong," he murmured to himself.

He went back to the Iris-Message, looking over the connections. Just as he thought he had found what the problem was, there was a light tap at his door. "Come in!" yelled Malcolm.

The door opened, and a camper with a high, honey-blonde ponytail, ripped jeans, and blue high-tops appeared in the doorway. "Hi, Malcolm," greeted the girl, the wind ripping at her orange Camp Half-Blood tee.

"Hi Sydney," replied Malcolm flatly.

Sydney glanced around the space. Everything was neat, prim, and tidy- except for Malcolm's bunk, with its scattered papers and tools. "You must've been really busy not to notice that," she muttered.

Malcolm scowled at her. Sydney backed out of the door, with a soft, "Just came in here to tell you about a new thing Lindsay saw from the lookout."

Malcolm was intrigued, admittedly, for he had helped build the camp's lookout tower in the forest. But he couldn't stop now. He was nearly at his goal!

After a few more hours of work, it was dinnertime, and Malcolm was forced to stop working. As he strolled across the green, all he could think about was his project. He had to finish it tonight. He _had _to.

When dinner was concluded, he sprinted back to Cabin Six, barely touching the flourishing grass. Then, he went right back to work, as if he had never left in the first place. Finally, he was ready to test once more. Not wanting a repeat of what had happened the last time with Piper and Jason, he Iris-Messaged Chiron, instead.

"Hello?" Chiron said, not looking up from his papers.

"It's Malcolm, you know, with a test," Malcolm explained.

"Okay, let's see it!" Chiron turned to face him on his shiny hooves.

Malcolm produced a pencil and carefully slid it through the mist. It landed perfectly in Chiron's weathered, outstretched palm.

"Finally!" Chiron smiled heartily. "Now, it's almost time for the campfire sing-along. Would you like to demonstrate this?"

Malcolm accepted gratefully, and started cleaning up.

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><p><em>At the campfire…<em>

Clarisse snickered to her cabinmates as Chiron explained why Malcolm wasn't in the stands. "What's he going to prove this time?" she asked. "Moles live underground?"

The Ares cabin exploded with chortles.

Lindsay, Malcolm's half-sister, whipped around on Clarisse. "Maybe he'll prove that you're a moron!" she hissed.

"Burn!" The Stoll Brothers yelled in unison.

Chiron galloped to that side of the arena. "Silence!"

As Malcolm stepped hesitantly into the center, he waited for a daughter of Iris to charm a rainbow to appear in the flames. Stepping back, he chanted, "O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow! Show me the _Argo II_!"

The campers watched intently as Leo Valdez manned the ship through peaceful waters. A little later, some of them realized he was humming "Staying Alive," which was actually played quite frequently on the Mount Olympus elevator. The campers giggled and chuckled.

"What?" Leo asked when he realized the laughter. "Hedge!"

Coach Hedge ran onto the deck, swinging his club left and right. "DIE ZOMBIES!" he screamed.

Then, he saw the Iris-Message and swung at it. The club went through the message, and straight at Malcolm's head. He ducked just in time. When the campers had noticed exactly what had happened, they oohed and ahhed, even the Ares campers. "Iris-Message surprise attack!" screeched several of them.

Coach Hedge looked confused. "Why did you call me out here, Valdez?" he asked a sheepish Leo.

Leo didn't reply, and Hedge retired to his cabin.

"That was why I was in the cabin the whole day," explained Malcolm. "What do you think?"

As the campers cheered, the fire turned neon purple. All that trouble in the morning had been worth it, especially if it turned the flames purple!

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><p><strong>AN: So, what do you think? I will probably write more PJO in the future. R&R!**


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